Home Sweet Home

Been a Jordan resident for about 16 hours and it has been a full day. It began by meeting three Arab college students on the plane ride from Amman to Aqaba. They were very affluent and were going to be spending the weekend on their fathers Yacht in the Red Sea. Apparently in their world, private drivers, Yacht's and trips to Dubai are standard. They actually invited me to join them for a poker night but I had to decline due to my commitments to the center. It however was a good introduction to the widely diverse Jordanian culture.  Two of the students were actually women and payed little attention to the cultural traditions of the women of Jordan as they engaged me as if I was a close friend. Even in my first day here in Jordan, I can already attest that this was not the normal interaction between men and women. In fact, most women I saw today were covered in full Burkas (Only their eyes showing) and would not even look into the eyes of a man. Additionally, most women walk behind the man as a sign of submission, which I do not think would fly in my relationship.

My residents for my tenure in Jordan is a nice house that is completely furnished, has a front patio and three bedrooms and two baths. It is located in the 8th area, as the residential areas are sectioned off into areas. We have our own parking for the busted van named "Chuck Norris" that Tim and I drive as well as a full AC system. The house has nice tiled floors, a spacious kitchen with all the amenities of your typical American kitchen. I was shocked when I walked in a saw the place. The guest house also has quality furniture that is reminiscent of a pottery barn magazine. Luckily, Tim enjoys playing music and games and so we have spent our down time bonding over Jam sessions and Settlers of Catan. As I have talked of my roommate but not expounded on him, I am sharing a room with a guy named Tim who has been in Jordan for about a year. He is also 23 and is patiently educating me about the culture and language of the area. Upon my arrival, immediately following a quick breakfast with Gene and Jessie, Tim took me to the local gym and we spent an hour running and pumping the iron together. This will be a good place to meet people and engage in the culture outside of the typical day at the center. Tim is a great guy who played hockey in college and also dabbles in music. I am stocked to get to know him better.

The weather was almost unbearable, as it was 85 degrees when I exited the plane at 8:20 in the morning. Coupled with my jet lag and serious depravity of water I was struggling prior to lunch. Once I got food in my system, which was an incredible mix of chicken, rice, yogurt and a salsa mix, I felt better and took a brief nap to get ready for the first interaction with students from the center. On the second day, Tim and I went and meet the guys for a game of basketball and soccer. We played with the locals until it was too hot, "Shoab" in arabic, which meant it was well over 100 degrees. One of the guys I meet, named Ahmad was showing me his music collection and we ended up jamming to his favorite cuts of Avril Lavinge and Backstreet Boys!

I will be working at the  center in an area called Mach Dude (totally messing up the name) and is a restored building that was believed to be haunted by the natives. The first floor is a coffee shop, second floor is English classrooms and the third floor is the women's aerobic center. I had the opportunity to attend the English graduation tonight and meet many of the students that will be continuing their English education next term as well. I meet two guys named Muhammed and Ali and had the opportunity to hear about their lives, family and faith. This is a very excepting culture and it is pretty easy to extend relationships beyond the teaching platform. I am excited to see how these relationships develop and enjoy the special aspects of the culture. 

Besides my accommodations, I was also surprised with the fact that Mcdonalds, Burger King and Safeway are located in Jordan. I vowed to Tim that I would not eat out at American fast food while in this country. I am also surprised that the culture here wakes up late, around 9 and works late till about 9. This culture stays up very late as last night we played Settlers with some of the Shabob till about 2. It is not uncommon to see families shopping for groceries at 1 AM. Well I am off to see the city. See ya later.